I've said Mike Rowe is a wonder,

and he just got a big hand in getting kids to look at the trades.  First saw mention at Kim's place, and took this from Rowe's Bookface page:
Truth is, this check has been distracting me all week. Not only did it cause me to abandon my phone in a public toilet moments before takeoff and then repeatedly misidentify the man who returned it to me, it will probably cause me to misidentify the people presenting me with this generous donation. Three genuine patriots, who I will now attempt to properly thank.

To my right, The Honorable Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment.
To my left, The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy.
And to his left, Dr. Kristin Schaaf Director of Programs for Warfighting Investments, Resourcing, and Execution.
Together, these individuals have spearheaded a long overdue initiative to reinvigorate the skilled trades. The initiative is called BuildFreedom.US, and I am proud to support their efforts, just as they are supporting mine. In short, Build Freedom is both an online resource for job seekers, and a public awareness campaign designed to shine a light on hundreds of thousands of AI-Proof, six-figure jobs currently open in the defense industrial base. These jobs can be found at BuildFreedom.US, along with work ethic scholarships from The Mike Rowe Works Foundation.
https://bit.ly/BuildFreedomUS
If you’ve followed my exploits since the Dirty Jobs days, you know that I pitched a similar campaign to Congress in 2011. Back then, the skills gap was wide and getting wider, and I was worried that our workforce was headed for a colossal imbalance. Well, sixteen years later, the government got back to me! And frankly, not a moment too soon. Hundreds of thousands of essential jobs are waiting to be filled, and the DoW is now taking affirmative steps to reinvigorate the skilled trades on a national level. I’m glad they are, and I’m happy to help them spread the word. I’ll have lots more to say about Build Freedom in the coming weeks and months, and if you live in Texas, Pennsylvania, or Michigan, you’ll likely be seeing me all over the place. With luck, the campaign will spread quickly, and the scholarship money I’ve just deposited will be quickly spent and replenished, as we train the next generation of skilled workers our country so urgently needs. It really is an honor to participate in this endeavor, and I want to thank the people in the photo one more time, especially Aliscia Andrews and Matt Draper, who will bear the daily brunt of making Build Freedom a national success. Closing the skills gap is now a matter of national security, and this administration is the first to accept my offer to help make that a reality. Good luck to you all, and Happy Independence Day.

(And by “you all,” I include Matt/Zach/Corey, for his/their role in getting me to the Pentagon in time to accept this check. Whatever your name really is, I couldn’t have done it without you.)